Are Ranks of Shooters Growing or Shrinking?

[Bob3700]

The OP asked about attendance at competitions. In my area, attendance is down. The biggest private club discontinued HP rifle matches for 2023. Now the sling and F-class shooters have no local matches To attend.
Snozzberries, u are correct about the older nature on this forum. This age group consists of rifleman who competed in Leg Matches and earned Distinguished Riflemen badges, shot their way into the Presidents 100 all done shooting service rifles with iron sights. Now they have graduated to shooting prone matches and left XC shooting behind. They are still very current in attending matches!
What younger shooters are following in those footsteps? Not much that I see as the skills needed are not quickly acquired, no instant gratification here.
Any growth in prone shooting is in F-class. This group is a younger community of prone benchrest shooters that seem keenly focused on hardware and technology. F-open has morphed into something different than was originally intended, keeping older shooters in the sport.
From what I have witnessed, only an older shooter with deep pockets can afford a current state-of-the-art F-open rifle with its associated scope and high tech loading gadgetry. The reality is this class is simply belly benchrest.
Now the question becomes, who will encourage youths to engage in the shooting sports if not the fossils ? How can you actually mentor a younger shooter in true rifleman skills if u don’t have them yourself?
So how do we in this sport overcome the negative anti-gun impression that the politicians and media are pushing. This negative influence on our youth and their parents is what has to be overcome in order to increase participation in the sport that we love.
Bob
P

 

[dontpanic]

At my club, rimfire matches are growing. As are run and gun/PRS style matches. IDPA and 3 gun also have great followings.
With 1100 members, we don't get enough shooters to do BR, F-class or 3 position. But there are clubs close by that kind of specialize in all those disciplines. (Except F-Class. That's pretty much a minimum 2 hour drive for me)

 

[cwood59]

I'm an older man now. I grew up hunting until in my 30's. I remember conversations around the deer camp during all those years. Most of them focused on "hey this rifle can shoot a 5-shot group at 100-yds. you can cover up with a dime". I'd bet those same conversations by hunters in that same age range nowadays would sound a lot different. Not sure what I am really getting at in relation to this post, but I do see a different atmosphere at the ranges nowadays. Sorry, I miss the old days. I'm up at this hour because I have a leaking toilet...........

 

[cmysix]

The real question is, what are you/we doing to increase the ranks, got to take someone shooting!

 

[praveen]

In western WA, Rimfire (benchrest, ARA) competitions are growing by leaps and bounds and people are dedicating equivalent amount of resources (time/money etc.) as centerfire benchrest or F-class.
Looking at the fact that last year SWN registration didn't get full in 6 minutes, I would say, overall, economic pressures are hurting the sport participation.

 

[J.d. Popkes]

The real question is, what are you/we doing to increase the ranks, got to take someone shooting!

Not following you? Introduce people to shooting, or what will happen? Or they’ll quit selling reloading stuff and gun related things? If the “ranks” are depleted will we have less political influence?

 

[NZ_Fclass]

While it has nothing to do with the availability of supplies, based on my experience of participating in my first ever bench rest match (factory rifle class), that community needs to do a MUCH better job of welcoming new competitors. I know I won’t be back.

I'm sorry to hear that. If you came to either of my clubs, you would be welcomed.

 

[LiveFire]

The real question is, what are you/we doing to increase the ranks, got to take someone shooting!

That is the important thing. The club I belong too seems content to continue the good ole boys club and not try to bring in new shooters. If that attitude persist the club is going to die with them.

On the other hand im 38, attend most shoots sometimes just to watch and hang out. Even if I dont have the equipment somebody there would go out of their way and loan me something. Very kind guys. Just no drive in them to pull younger members. I never thought at 38 Id be the youngster at an ar15 shoot.

I do notice the age of the guys that go to the DNR public range 5 miles from our club are what appear to be early 20s and to my surprise a lot of them are shooting milsurps. Yes there are the rambo blasters too but whatever at least theyre outside practicing the 2nd Amendment instead of crying about it from a key board. I think Im gonna start inviting people from the public range to our shoots. Maybe thatll help us grow.

 

[SecondsCount]

Our local range was slow but starting to pick up quite a bit. Ammo is becoming available and reloading components are dropping in price.

 

[AccelR8]

I'm sorry to hear that. If you came to either of my clubs, you would be welcomed.

Thank you! Next time I'm in NZ...

 

[urbanrifleman]

The real question is, what are you/we doing to increase the ranks, got to take someone shooting!

I created a business that's specifically targeting people getting started in target shooting and varmint hunting. And I'm trying to create affordable solutions for people that want to get started. And I've also created formulas to overcome the various issues of shortages.

I've also tried to make people aware of the fact that things are not going to go back to the way they were. That is the issue that seems to fall flat on its face. Unless some things are done sport shooting in this country is being systematically dismantled from beneath by the supply chain.

 

[bsekf]

NYS is doing a wonderful job of reducing sports shooting. Between driving up prices with new taxes and passing new laws that make it almost impossible to transport/shoot a gun without breaking a law. Thanks to the crime, there are new gun buyers who buy the gun and a box of shells and shoot 10 or them. Or they buy as many cases as they can and don't shoot any of them. We have a handful of AR shooters who burn up 500 rounds destroying the target carriers at our ranges, they never show up for organized competition or a work bee or fund raiser. Used to shoot 25-35 trap squads on Sunday morning, now we might get 5 shooters. I just bought $250 worth of primers mail order, 15 years ago I could have gotten the same for $50 at a half dozen little gun shops here in WNY. WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMY, ONLY 40% OF GUN OWNERS VOTE

 

[David Milisock]

The "shortages".

It's working.

I'm not sure I'm in the same world or maybe I'm crazy. I stopped in and picked up a pound of 4895. There was over 100 pounds of it there as well as many others powders. What looked like hundreds of thousands of primers. There were thousands of bullets in the calibers I shoot.

 

[284winner]

It's probably more geographic but it's definitely taken a hit around me. Less range visitors at my private range for sure. I go during the week being retired but use to run into some older shooters often. Recently, (last couple years) haven't had another at the range while being there. It's nice in one way but sad to see this.

 

[wildcatter]

Sorry but what I see has nothing to do with cost keeping new shooters away.

I see more ammo being burnt and that is with less time being spent shooting it.

I see target frames being destroyed by those shooting 7 to 10 yards on the pistol range, but not so much by those using the same target frames for 25 yards. But seldom, maybe one in ten shoot on the handgun range from 25 yards, and hardly any further than that.

Rifle range is the same way, 50 yards they are replacing the frames from being shot up constantly hardly ever do they at 100, 200, or 300 yards.

But I hardly ever see a cf rifle shot beyond 100 yards, and 10 to 1 shoot primarily at 50 yards, some even use the 25 yard pistol range to shoot their cf Rifles.

But I have to say, 90% of the guns, both rifle and handgun are large capacity, semi auto, and rarely shot with much concentration on anything but how fast they can empty them.

This so prominent that is a surprise, as well as specially noticed when there is a shooter that varies from that scenario!

The everage age of those using the range is under 40 years of age, and seldom older than 30.

with all of this taken under consideration, i can only believe that any shooting discipline that requires advanced skills and time invested to be successful, is a dying sport around me.

When I see range bags loaded with bulk boxes of ammo, multiple large clips, many that won't even allow carrying a pistol on them, with them Hanging from them, as well as the Rifles they pull out only being capable of being carried in the ready position. Cost is not keeping them from shooting.

They go thru 100 to 200 rounds and more faster than I shoot 20 or 30. And clean during that session,,,, never! No exaggeration, NEVER!

When bolt actions and revolvers are seen less than 10% of the time,,,, it has to speak of the lack of interest in what this sport has meant to me for decades! Learning, advancing, shooting better, creating better ammo, and being more efficient.

Trust me, at any match I participate in I not only find it refreshing to see a new shooter, at any age,,, I go out of my way to encourage, help and welcome them. I think most I have shot around for years offer the same behavior without reservation.its just sad we get the opertunity to meet new shooters at our matches. They usually show up when we are wrapping up, waiting for us to leave so they can use the range for their ideals of shooting.

 

[urbanrifleman]

I'm not sure I'm in the same world or maybe I'm crazy. I stopped in and picked up a pound of 4895. There was over 100 pounds of it there as well as many others powders. What looked like hundreds of thousands of primers. There were thousands of bullets in the calibers I shoot.

Are you saying there are no shortages of components?

???

 

[Bottom Fodder]

yep went to a range last week thought they were filming a Rambo movie two guys with black guns blasting as fast as they could switch clips out and basically all they were shooting at or hitting was the berm and doing a good job of aerating it. Must have shoot over a hundred rounds each and never picked up the first piece of their brass, loaded up in their truck and left. But I guess their mama will buy her baby’s some more ammo

 

[joshb]

I'm not sure I'm in the same world or maybe I'm crazy. I stopped in and picked up a pound of 4895. There was over 100 pounds of it there as well as many others powders. What looked like hundreds of thousands of primers. There were thousands of bullets in the calibers I shoot.

Care to share where?

 

[cmysix]

I created a business that's specifically targeting people getting started in target shooting and varmint hunting. And I'm trying to create affordable solutions for people that want to get started. And I've also created formulas to overcome the various issues of shortages.

I've also tried to make people aware of the fact that things are not going to go back to the way they were. That is the issue that seems to fall flat on its face. Unless some things are done sport shooting in this country is being systematically dismantled from beneath by the supply chain.

I think that would be more systematically dismantled from beneath by government regulation, what your saying is the manufactures don't want to sell to us, that would be bad for business

 

[urbanrifleman]

I think that would be more systematically dismantled from beneath by government regulation, what your saying is the manufactures don't want to sell to us, that would be bad for business

The same investment companies that have taken over all the major retail stores that are promoting the "woke" agenda are the same ones that own the entire manufacturing base for ammunition in this country.